1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a safety device for use in a gas lighter, and more particularly to a safety device which prevents inadvertent ignition by children by rendering an actuating member inoperative when a gas lighter is not in use.
2. Description of Prior Art
A gas lighter is a convenient tool which can easily be fired by actuation of an actuating member, but inadvertent ignition of the lighter is a safety hazard for those who, like children, are unfamiliar with appropriate use of the lighter.
For this reason, there is a demand for a safer gas lighter which can prevent inadvertent ignition by those who, like children, are unfamiliar with the operation thereof. Previously, gas lighters with various types of safety devices have already been put forward. Most of these safety devices are provided with a lock mechanism which hinders depression of an actuating member without the release of the lock mechanism. However, all of these gas lighters have drawbacks in their usage, and thus it is desirable that the gas lighter be improved for practical use.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. HEI-3(1991)-25215 discloses a safety device for use in a gas lighter, and the safety device is provided with a lock member to hinder depression of an actuating member for ignition operation. After the gas lighter has been ignited by displacing the lock member to an unlocked position, the lock member automatically returns to its original locked position.
However, the actuating member for the ignition operation of the above-mentioned safety device is designed so that it can be applied to a gas lighter which requires a vertical depression operation. Moreover, a lock mechanism of this safety device is to stop the action of the actuating member only in a vertical direction. It is impossible to apply this mechanism directly to a gas lighter which involves ignition by pivotal movement of the actuating member.
In addition, in the case of the gas lighter involving the pivotal movement of the actuating member, the actuating member projects out of a lighter body, which makes it difficult to provide a safety mechanism under a lower part of the actuating member or closer to a side of the lighter body.